


The Wedding Show!  Proposal Week?

by Casey (nic)



Series: The Wedding Show [6]
Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: M/M, Marriage Proposal, Reality TV
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-21
Updated: 2016-07-22
Packaged: 2018-07-25 19:35:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7545292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nic/pseuds/Casey
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"This was supposed to be a fun dating show!  Instead we have teams switching partners, vanishing contestants, multiple ex-wives showing up, underage participants and now a homicidal maniac who tried to burn the house down!"</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Dammit!" Jared yelled, dropping the pizza tray with a resounding crash.  He raced to the sink and turned on the cold water tap as hard as he could, then pushed his arm under the gushing water.  A huge red welt was rising on his forearm.

Jensen put down the cheese grater and raced to Jared's side, concern etched in his features.  "Jared, shit, are you okay?"

Grimacing, Jared said, "I will be."

"What happened?" Jensen had been so focussed on his own tasks while Jared was checking the oven that he hadn’t seen the mishap.

"I bumped the top shelf of the oven while I was taking the pizza out," he said. 

If this had been the real world, Jensen would have taken a closer look at the injury and tried to assess if it needed further medical treatment or not.  But in TV-land, halfway through the "Cook a Gourmet Dinner for your Friends" challenge, there was a staff medic on hand.  He advised salve and a bandage, but there wasn't much else to be done.

"It's probably gonna scar," Jared said soberly.

Jensen tried to make light of the situation.  "It'll just make you look tougher.  And you know I love a tough guy!"  He gave Jared a quick hug, carefully avoiding the injured arm.

"Well, this tough guy is failing at the cooking challenge," he shot back, which reminded Jensen that there was still pizza on the floor and the oven was probably burning whatever else was still left in there.

The kitchen was a disaster area, even without the mess from the latest mishap.  Neither of them was a particularly good cook and trying to work together to make something relatively simple was more challenging than they'd thought.  They had different opinions on how to slice vegetables, what kind of flavours should go on a pizza and even where to put the cheese.  (Jared was insistent it go on the bottom layer whereas Jensen loved it on top.)

(His cave-man brain wondered if that would apply to their preferences in bed as well, but that kind of thinking would just make him even more distracted.)

Still, they'd compromised by agreeing to make 6 different pizzas of varying style and toppings.  In retrospect that maybe wasn't the best idea given how much work it involved.

Blair sauntered into the kitchen.  "Smells good, boys!"  She dipped a finger in Jared's home-made pizza sauce, licked it, then made a face.  "Everyone's getting kinda hungry, though.  How long until dinner's ready?"

They still had another 3 pizzas to cook - the oven was a lot slower than they'd realised.  And they hadn't even started on dessert yet.  "Um, soon, I hope?" Jensen replied.  "Jared burned his arm so one of the pizzas got ruined.

She rolled her eyes.  When Chuck and Blair had served dinner earlier in the week, it had been exquisite.  Jensen still suspected that Chuck had flown in a professional chef to do the actual work, but since everyone had been locked out of the kitchen all day, he had no way to be sure.

"We could serve two pizzas now, and give them lots of wine?" Jared suggested.

"Does that count as a dinner party?"

Jared shrugged.  "It's better than them getting hungry and bitchy."  The last part was directed not-so-subtly at Blair's retreating form. 

"Okay, you do that and I'll handle the oven."  He wasn't letting Jared get near it again.  Come to think of it, it was probably Jared's size that caused the mishap, he had to bend down a long way to try and see into the oven.

A few of the housemates were gathered around the table; Chuck looking bored as he idly tapped his empty glass. 

"Hey guys, we're gonna serve the appetizers!" Jared improvised.  "Can someone get the others?"

Kate got to her feet.  "I think Derek's in the gym downstairs; I'll go find him."

"No, wait!" interrupted Lydia, heading for the door.  "Let me.  You go find Chuck; I saw him outside."

Shrugging, Kate acquiesced, and it was Lydia who came back 5 minutes later with a sweaty Derek _and_ Stiles in tow.  "You boys owe me," she muttered under her breath.

"Food!" enthused Stiles, totally distracted from whatever had been going on.

Jared sliced the pizzas into delicate slices while plying the others with beer and wine, while Jensen madly threw the next 2 pizzas into the oven before joining the group at the dinner table.

The food ended up being great.  Even if he and Jared were still covered in flour (they'd made the dough themselves), he realised that you didn't have to get all dressed up to have a great dinner party.  It was more about the food and the company.

After dinner, and the seemingly endless clean-up, they retired to their room.  They'd been sleeping together (in the mostly-platonic sense) since returning from visiting their families; Jensen was not going to have sex in a house full of cameras, but he certainly didn't mind the nightly kisses and cuddles from Jared.  With so many of their competitors gone, they could even have their own rooms at this point but it made strategic sense to share.  At least, that was what Jensen told himself.

Truth was, he just liked being able to be with Jared.

He heard a low groan and realised it wasn't the first instance of such a sound.  The walls in this house were all too thin and although Derek was particularly taciturn in everyday life, it sounded like in the bedroom he was quite the opposite.  Jensen shared a wry grin with Jared, as if to say, "This is why we don’t have sex in the house."  And then pulled a pillow over his upturned ear.

As Jensen was drifting off to sleep, he noticed the smell of smoke.  Was it still lingering in Jared's hair after the cooking fiasco?  He sniffed deeply, snuggling closer, but no, Jared smelt clean and fresh (and okay, maybe a little like roasted mushrooms).

It was that moment when he became aware of a glow - from below the door?  Outside the window?

And then the smoke alarms went off.

Fuck.

"Jared!" he shouted, jumping out of bed and shaking the other man violently.

"Whassup?"

Somehow, Jensen didn't think this was a false alarm.  "Fire alarm, we gotta get out of here!"

He quickly grabbed his shirt while Jared sat up, blearily rubbing his eyes. 

Remembering what he was taught at school, Jensen gingerly touched the door.  It was warm.  Hot? Did he dare open it?  With the high pitched screeching of the alarm, it was hard to hear anything else, but in between the squeals he thought he detected a crackling sound.

He opened the door a crack.

The corridor was aflame.  The fire seemed to be spreading ridiculously quickly; both ends of the hall were blocked.  It was so fast, way too fast for a kitchen accident.  Was it a gas leak?  Did they even have gas in this house?  Or maybe some of the wiring for the cameras and mikes had fried? 

 One thing was for certain, they weren't getting out that way.

Jared was already opening the window.  "We can get out here."

It was a 2-storey drop, which wasn't ideal, but it was better than facing the fire.  For a moment, Jensen appreciated that he'd already trained for this, way back when Jared had orchestrated their bathroom escape from the restaurant.

But back then, their lives hadn't been in danger.  This time it was serious.

"What about the others?" Jensen worried, crawling onto the window ledge.

Jared didn't answer. 

Carefully shifting his body weight around, Jensen let his legs drop down, then lowered his body until he was hanging from the window sill by his arms.  It made the distance far more manageable and he took a deep breath before dropping. 

He hit hard, but remembered to bend his knees and roll as best he could.  The impact shuddered through his body and he knew he'd have more than a few bruises to show for it but he was outside of the house.  He was safe.

Hearing sirens in the distance, Jensen looked back up at the house.  Flames could be seen through the windows on the lower level; the kitchen in particular seemed to be engulfed.  Stiles (a totally naked Stiles, and if the situation wasn't so grim, there would have been something amusing about Stiles' naked rear hanging out of the window like that) managed to execute a similar manoeuvre to the one Jensen had just completed, and dropped from the window next door.

Jared was nowhere to be seen.

"JARED!" he yelled, crawling away from the burning house.  Where the hell was he?  He'd been right behind Jensen!

Derek catapulted out of the window that Stiles had recently vacated; executing a wolf-like leap and landing elegantly on all fours.  He'd at least grabbed a blanked to wrap around himself and he'd soon wrapped Stiles as well, the two of them huddling together and shivering.

The sirens got closer as black smoke began billowing out of the roof.  Jensen didn't know what to do; he couldn't climb back up two storeys and the only other option was to head back in through the main doors, but everything was on fire and he had no idea where Jared had gone; surely not into the burning hall?  "JARED!"  He frantically raced towards the growing crowd of people - a mixture of crew and contestants - maybe someone knew where a ladder was? 

"We need to do a head count!" That was Blair, taking charge.  Dressed in a soot-stained silk gown, she had the air of a regal princess who was looking out for her people.  "How many crew were in the house tonight?"

"Three," managed Alison, on the verge of tears.  "We're all here, but Jared and Kate are still in there!"

 

"He was in that room with me," Jensen pointed, "but he was supposed to follow me out - I gotta get back up there!!!"  But there was no way he could do it, short of climbing the featureless wall.

The fire truck finally arrived and Blair raced to it, ready to give orders.  Jensen followed behind her, ready to steal a ladder himself if he had to.  He heard Lydia saying, “I am done with this show.  I am SO DONE with this show.” and Jensen wanted to agree.  No show was worth this. 

And then Jared came running from around the side of the house, a crumpled figure in his arms. 

They were both covered in smoke but Jared was smiling in triumphant relief.  Kate, however, was kicking and screaming.  "Nooooo!" she shouted.  "Let me go!  Let me go!"

"It's okay, Kate," Jared said, setting her gently down on the ground but keeping a firm grip on her wrists.  "You're safe now."

Jensen wanted to faint with relief.  He raced to Jared's side, wanting to hug the man, wanting to help, feeling like such a loser for not staying back inside and trying to help the others to escape too.

"Let me go!" Kate seemed hysterical.

"It's okay, everyone's out!"  Jensen didn't know if his words were getting through to the woman but Jared heard him.

"God, I didn't know."  Now Jared slumped to the ground beside Kate, adrenaline wearing off.  And Jensen leaned behind him, supporting in the only way he could. 

"I'm sorry, Jen, I was right behind you, but then I heard footsteps running in the hall.  And there was no time to tell you; I just had to go."

Jensen understood.  In Jared's position, he would have done the same thing.

Jared was a hero.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, they were dragged from their hotel rooms at the crack of dawn.  As far as Jensen knew, there wasn't anything scheduled that early, but the two remaining teams were taken to the studio all the same.  Chuck had kept pretty much to himself for most of the show and Blair had spent all her free time with Lydia and Kate.  So it was no surprise when the two teams found themselves staring daggers at each other.

The studio was silent.  No film crews, no PAs running around like crazy, nothing.  After being on film 24/7 for so long, it seemed...strange.

Kripke was waiting for them, along with Gretchen, Alison, and a whole bunch of nervous looking people wearing suits.

"This is an absolute clusterfuck!" Kripke shouted.  "What the hell have you people done to my show?"

Everyone was silent.

"This was supposed to be a fun dating show!  Instead we have teams switching partners, vanishing contestants, multiple ex-wives showing up, underage participants and now a homicidal maniac who _tried to burn the house down!!!_

"God, did you actually do any RESEARCH or did you just pick the contestants' names out of a hat?"

"Um-" one woman with glasses volunteered, "we thought it would make good television?"

Throwing his hands up in disgust, Kripke said, "Good television?  We're lucky if we don't get sued!  Kate is in _jail_ , people, and it's our fault!  She's claiming it was due to the stress of being on the show."

"According to her contract, she can't sue," piped up an accountant-type.  "We should be safe from that."

"Yeah, but we can't exactly use any of this footage until the court case is over and that could take years!"  Exasperated, he picked up Kate's file.  "Look, it says right here that she had a breakdown at high school and tried to set it on fire.  You didn't think that was a red flag?!"

No one said anything.

Kripke turned, suddenly giving his attention to Jared, Jensen, Chuck and Blair.  "What about the four of you?  Is there anything I should know?  Any surprises you have planned?  Illegitimate children?  Hidden psychotic tendencies?"

For a moment, it looked like Chuck was about to say something, but Blair glared at him and he thought better of it.

As for Jensen, his own secret seemed more and more benign.

 

"What are we going to do?" Kripke continued ranting.  "This show has six weeks left!  It's proposal week - how the hell are we gonna have a show with just two proposals??? Two couples and no house are not enough to keep our viewers!"

"We- we could bring some of the other couples back?" nervously offered a junior writer.

Kripke picked up the files.  "Yeah, but who?"  He flipped open the first one.  "Kiralee and Julian?  No one even remembers who they are!"

The next file was Harry and Hermione, which an AD quickly vetoed.  "They were impossible to capture on camera; they kept vanishing!"

When he came to Payson and Sasha's file, Kripke threw it in the corner with a snort of disgust.   One timid voice suggested, "Maybe she's legal now?" but the rest of the room shouted, "No!"

Next were Cordelia and Xander, which Kripke agreed was a possibility. "But we seriously need to do something about that boy's stage presence.  See if you can reach them."

Gretchen looked worried.  "Um...don't you remember her dramatic exit?"  After being voted off, Cordelia had sworn that she'd have nothing to do with reality television ever again and apparently had a fantastic job offer waiting.  As for Xander, she hadn't even given him a parting glance. 

In the end, Cordelia refused to come back as a matter of pride, and Natasha and Clint, having outed themselves as international superheroes who'd only joined the show as a means of generating good publicity, were far too busy saving the world or something like that.  Kripke was incensed.

"What about the pirates?  They were funny, at least!"

"No, no, no,'' vetoed Gretchen.  "Every single time he came on stage, Jack was drunk!  He was a walking liability."  She didn't have to say that she was glad he'd been chased off the show. 

"You know," voiced a brave PA, "even though Stiles hooked up with Derek, he technically didn't break the rules.  We don't have to air that.  We could keep him and Lydia in the show."

Kripke sighed.  "Sandra, even I could see from day 1 that he was completely in love with his best friend.  No one is going to buy a romance with Lydia.  Least of all Lydia herself!"  It was true, Stiles and Lydia had consistently been in the bottom three, having the least believable romance on the entire show. 

That left Kara and Lee, and John and Dell.

"Do we know what happened to John and his wife?"  No one did.  "Okay, that's the number one priority task for the day.  Find those 4 people and invite them back.  Beg, if you have to.  I refuse to let this show die!"  He stood and paced.  "Our ratings have been amazing.  Stellar, even.  Did you know the network called me to ask if we could extend our run?"  Half the room looked shocked, the other half rueful.  "We need to get the momentum back.  I am accepting all ideas of extra events, things we can do to keep people watching.  As long as we can get some of our cast back!"

Again, Kripke paused in front of his two remaining couples.  "I'm adding a bonus to your contracts if you stick it through to the end and actually _sell a romance_ , like you were supposed to."

"We're doing that!" protested Blair.

He gave her a calculating look.  In all of the insanity, Chuck and Blair had maintained a cool presence for the challenges, winning more often than not, and yes, had actually been romantic. 

"Well, good.  Keep it up."

He addressed Jared and Jensen next.  "I'm actually surprised to see you still here.  Maybe the gay vote is bigger than I thought."

"More like the teenage girl vote," muttered Alison under her breath.

"Excuse me, sir," one harried-looking woman timidly raised her hand, "but if you count the number of weeks that we _actually_ used the audience numbers to vote someone off rather than them leaving of their own accord-"

Kripke silenced her with a dirty look.  "The network doesn't need to hear that.  Voting is a key part of the financing for this show."

"We can turn things around," Jared said sincerely.  "You can count on us.  Just put us in a room with Misha and I guarantee you, we can be entertaining."  He patted Jensen on the back, saying, "Even Jen here has warmed to the cameras.  We've come this far.  We can do it."

"Good."  Kripke seemed, if not happy, then at least vaguely satisfied with that response.  He made a shoo-ing motion with his hands.  "Well, people, what are you waiting for?  Get busy!"

And with that, the room exploded in chatter, as tasks were assigned and brainstorming began. 

Jensen looked over at Chuck and Blair.  He didn't particularly want to spend the day with them, nor did he want to spend the day hanging out at the studio.  "What about us?" he dared ask Kripke.  The man just sighed.

"Consider it a bonus day off," he said wearily.  "But stick close to the hotel, in case we need you.  And remember the rules of your contract."  The latter statement wasn't exactly necessary, but Blair's face fell when she heard it.  It was no surprise she'd be plotting something.

As for Jensen, he suddenly felt grateful to Kate.  Sure, she'd set the house on fire.  But she'd given him a day with Jared - camera free - and that was an unexpectedly precious gift.

The day was magical.  Just two people, hanging out by the pool, laughing and talking together.  No cameras, no pressure, no expectations.  They sat in the sunshine and ate tapas, then went for a jog on a local trail.  And in the evening, when the sun was setting and they were overlooking a valley, Jared took Jensen in his arms and kissed him.

It was that moment that Jensen knew.  That he had fallen for Jared, completely and utterly.  Nothing would be the same from this moment forward and he had to believe that Jared felt it too. 

                                                               

 

\-----

 

That night, in bed, it was frantic, intense.  The near-miss with the fire, the extreme terror Jensen had felt when Jared was stuck inside the house; it all came out.  He clawed at Jared's back, wanting to be closer, never wanting to let him go.  "You could have died," he whispered, burying his tears in Jared's shoulder.  "You could have died and I would have never had the chance to be here like this, with you."

He probed further than he’d dared before, wanting desperately to feel.  Jared also seemed out of control, not holding back like he usually did.  He roughly grabbed at Jensen’s cock, the mixture of pleasure and pain was exactly what Jensen needed.  It reminded him that they were both still alive.  Biting down hard on Jared’s shoulder, he tried to block out all of the memories, the smell of the smoke, the flames, the absolute terror when he realised Jared was still in the house.

And then Jared’s hands were either side of his face, forcing him to pause, to look at him.  Jared’s eyes were also full of frantic need, but there was something else in there too.  “Jensen…it’s okay. Breathe.  I’m here, I’m alive.”

He lunged forward for a kiss, full of hunger and desperation. And after it was over, Jared again pulled back.  “I want you, Jensen, but not like this,” he said softly.  “Not after everything that happened last night, not….”

Jared didn’t finish the sentence, but he was right.  Not for their first time.  Because they’d always remember the fire, not each other. 

But it didn’t mean that they had to stop.  He could use his hands in other ways, and he intended to make Jared scream.


	3. Chapter 3

"Kara!" shouted Jared, leaping across the room to sweep her up in his arms.

"Jay!" she returned enthusiastically, giving him a long, hard hug while Lee and Jensen looked on.  "Can you believe that we're back?"

"I can't believe anything on this show any more!" he joked.

They were all now living in the West Side of the house, the side that had been mostly untouched.  The scent of smoke still lingered in the air, and the Eastern rooms beyond the kitchen were closed off with all kinds of 'Danger! Do not enter!' signs, but things seemed to be getting back to normal.  Normal for the show, that is. 

Shaking hands with Lee, Jensen said, "Welcome back, man."  He gave him a thoughtful glance; he was staring at Kara with a wistful look on his face.  It looked like Lee wanted that second chance. 

John and Dell walked through the door, holding hands, amidst more cheers.  Their reunion had been filmed earlier and even though an intensely private, intimate moment was shared with cameras and crew, it had still been so real that it had caused quite a few of the spectators, the other competitors amongst them, to tear up.  (No one was talking about John's former wife at all.  The most John would say on the topic was that she wasn't who he thought she was.)

"This calls for a party!" shouted Jared, heading for the beer.  Jensen could not agree more.  With the return of friends - _their_ friends - the tension in the house had been defused.  Even Chuck looked like he was ready to kick back and chill.

"It's so good to be back, you guys!" laughed Kara.  "Can you believe that I actually missed all of this crazy?"

"No," deadpanned Jared.

"I think we need a toast!" announced John, getting ready to launch into one of his customary, inspirational speeches.  "To second chances!"  He hadn't let go of Dell's hand for even a moment since they'd been reunited.  "To more time with wonderful new friends and the most special woman I've ever had the fortune to meet."

He went on for a while, mostly about Dell, who lowered her eyes and blushed.  And with everything Jensen had been feeling lately, he couldn't help but be deliriously happy for them.  Sure, their romance meant increased competition, but true love?  That was rare.  He couldn't begrudge anyone that.

Seeing Jared laughing with Kara as they started pouring shots, though, made him feel off-balance.  The last few weeks with Jared alone had been wonderful and Jensen realised he was starting to feel a little possessive.  Which was definitely a bad thing.  Jared was allowed to have friends, hell, Jared probably had five hundred friends that Jensen hadn’t met yet and there would be a lot of sharing his time in the future.  He was just that kind of guy, the one who would do anything for someone who needed him (even if it was to his own detriment).

He wondered where he would fit on the priority list in the real world.  He wondered how many ex-girlfriends (or boyfriends) he’d have to deal with.  It was bad enough seeing him with Kara and they’d only had one date.

But he’d been through this.  Kara was here to date Lee.  (Wasn’t she?) 

 

Ugh.  Jensen couldn’t even figure out how he was supposed to feel right now.  It was too much, too fast.  Falling in love with Jared in a high-pressure situation meant that he couldn’t even trust his own feelings.  But he trusted Jared and Jared had been amazing when they visited their families.

He just didn’t know what to think.

So he took the shot that was given to him, allowed Jared to whisper something sexy and naughty in his ear, and slammed it down.  It was party night; there’d be time enough for thinking when this was all over. 

 

\---

 

Jensen nervously shifted from foot to foot.  That morning, they'd all been asked to sign an additional waiver, one that basically gave up every right they had to sue the show should anything go wrong with the day's activities.  It was worrying because he thought he'd already signed over those rights when he joined the show, but it seemed whatever the producers had planned for them today was even worse.

Right now they were all on a bus.  Together.  It wasn't often that the contestants got to perform tasks jointly (more likely, they were going to be competing against each other).

At least all of the remaining teams were good people.  Not crazy.  Okay, he had his suspicions about Chuck and Blair, but Blair had emerged as an unlikely hero the night of the fire.  She'd taken charge on the ground and then ensured Jared and Kate got the medical treatment that they needed.  No wonder she was such a fierce competitor.

The bus left the highway and turned into ... an airfield?  Yup, that was it.  "What, are they gonna test our skills flying a plane?" Jensen quipped.  Jared just grinned.

There was something a little off about Jared this morning.  He'd been alternating between twitchy nervousness and gleeful excitement.  Jensen had caught him staring into space a couple of times, but every time he probed, Jared had reassured him that everything was fine.

Gretchen was waiting for them when they got out of the bus.  "Welcome, competitors!  Today, much like marriage, you'll be taking a leap of faith!"

"They're gonna make us jump out of an airplane," muttered Kara, figuring it out right away.

"You're going to be jumping out of a plane!"

Well, that didn't sound so bad.  Assuming, of course, there were parachutes and trained instructors. 

"But that's not all," Gretchen continued.  Of course it wasn't.  "As this is an exercise of trust, one of you will be giving all of the directions.  The other one of you..."  She paused, letting anticipation build, "...will be blindfolded."

The camera panned across the group, looking for an outraged reaction.  But with Kate and Ana-Maria gone, a lot of the drama was gone with them.  Dell was the only one who looked a little queasy at the thought but she certainly wasn't going to say anything, and John held her hand tightly as if giving support.

Kara and Lee seemed pumped, like they'd done this before.

"Dibs on not being blindfolded!" Jared said.  Jensen shot him a questioning look.  What, they weren't even going to discuss this?  Jensen didn't particularly mind heights, but maybe it was better this way.  At least he wouldn't be seeing how high they were?

The blindfolds went on as soon as the training was completed.  Sadly, they'd be jumping tandem-style, strapped to an expert (with the exception of Kara and Lee who were both adrenaline junkies and had jumped out of planes multiple times in their lives already).  Jensen figured they would look amazingly cool compared to the rest of them, with a definite advantage, but he wasn't too worried.  After all, they'd already been voted off once due to lack of chemistry and it didn't seem like anything had changed.

The next hour or so was complicated, to say the least.  Practicing being harnessed on to his partner, trying to keep his limbs out of the way, every single motion or action had to be directed by Jared.  And Jensen couldn't help but think _he_ could be a good director, given the opportunity. 

Dell was pale and shaky but trusting John; Kara had Lee running circles in a blindfold, and Blair and Chuck had debated for 5 minutes before resorting to a coin toss.  Blair won, and Chuck ended up with the blindfold on. 

Then it was time to climb into the plane and that was when Jensen started to get really nervous.  He hadn't even _seen_ the plane; had no concept of how big it was.  He just had to trust his partner. Jared's voice guided him up three small stairs and strong arms pulled him up inside. 

His senses felt so alive; the smell of metal and jet fuel, the echoes from his fellow competitors also climbing aboard the plane.  And the feeling of leaning closer to Jared, the warmth of the firm grip was all he had to hold on to.

He realised this was a metaphor for the entire show.  His life out of control, where the direction was set by everyone else, and the only thing he had to hold on to was Jared.  (And yeah, he'd be sharing THAT with the one-on-one cameras that interviewed him later because apparently the voters loved it when boys had "deep, meaningful insights".)

Sarcastically laughing to himself, the thought kept him distracted as the engines kicked in and the plane took off.

 

Now his nerves were starting to set in.  It seemed no time at all before he was being guided into a crouched position, his tandem jumping partner checking all of the straps for the umpteenth time. This was actually the really scary part.  Knowing the guy was responsible for his life or death but not being able to actually see to check things out.  (Instead, that was the job of the other instructors in the plane.)

He was steered to the exit.  Wind rushed past him; it was very hard to hear.  And then Jared's hands were on his right arm and he leaned in close. "I'll see you on the ground, okay?"

"Can't wait," he managed.

Then Jared kissed him, and it was a strange kiss, a little hesitant, a little sad, perhaps?  Or maybe it was just nerves that were effecting them both.  "Love ya, Jen," he whispered.

And then the world fell away.

It felt like he was tumbling head over heels; he had no way to know which was up.  It was one of the most incredible, exhilarating feelings of his entire life and he had no choice but to just enjoy the ride.  And then his tandem-buddy reached around and removed the blindfold and the brilliant, blinding blue of the sky greeted his eyes.

Wow.  It was incredible.

They were so high, but it didn't even seem like they were falling because the ground was miles away, too far to seem real.  It felt like they were just hanging out here in the sky (literally hanging, he realised, as the chute opened up behind them).  The spinning stopped and the sensation of drifting kicked in; they were so high but it now seemed so calm.  And then they deliberately twisted and Jared was right in front of them.

Jensen waved.  Jared looked so happy; a huge grin on his face.

Their co-skydivers had incredible control and managed to manoeuvre close enough so that when both Jared and Jensen reached out their hands, their fingers touched.  Jared even touched his fingers to his lips, then back again, passing on the kiss.  Then he made a heart shape with his hands and flew away. 

They tumbled, they soared, it was exhilarating and seemed to last forever.  Now _this_ was living!  Jensen was entirely in the moment, not thinking of the past or the future.  Just breathing, with the rush of air infusing all of his senses and the limitless sky beyond him.  He felt so free.

Jared floated back into view and if it was possible, he looked even more excited now.  He shouted something at Jensen but with the rushing of the air, it was impossible to hear him.  "This is amazing!" Jensen shouted back, assuming the other man had said something like that.

But no, Jared kept trying to say something.  He finally started pointing to the ground when it was obvious Jensen would never understand.  His motions were wide, excited, and so Jensen’s eyes followed his overblown directions to a small field not too far away.

This field wasn't the standard green/brown of the endless miles of the county. This field was a mixture of red and white and as Jensen fell closer, he realised there was a giant heart laid out on the ground.

And inside the heart...

...words.

Words just for him.

"JENSEN WILL YOU MARRY ME?"

He couldn't help it, he choked up.  This was perfect.  Absolutely perfect.  Jared had known - somehow, not that he'd told him - but he'd known that Jensen didn't want a proposal in front of the cameras, where he'd have to pretend to be overwhelmed, or cry, or give the producers whatever the hell kind of romantic reaction they were hoping for.  Jared had very cleverly made the moment as private as he could, with Jensen tumbling in the sky, the camera people only able to film distance shots, and he didn't even have to panic and figure out what words to say.

Because until this moment, he hadn't actually known that he would say yes.

Yes. 

Because Jared had somehow pulled off the most perfect proposal of all.


	4. Chapter 4

"Our first engagement!" cheered Alison as she popped the bottle of champagne when everyone was back at the house. 

"I didn't know it was engagement day yet?" said Lee.

Kara shook her head with mild exasperation.  "There's no set time for engagements, Lee.  It has to happen when it feels right."

"And in the next 2 weeks," added Alison hastily.  "If one of you doesn't come up with a plan by then, we'll be forced to set up a proposal for you and that's hardly romantic, is it?"  It was crazy, Alison was such a true believer in the romance of the show.  (Gretchen was the bubbly cynic.)

Chuck was making a strategic exit, either he'd already set up his engagement plan and didn't want to be asked any questions, or he was about to start panicking and set things in motion tonight.  There would be hell to pay if Blair didn't get the perfect, traditional proposal.

But right now, Jensen didn't care.

He was nestled close against Jared's side.  They were leaning casually against the counter together, pressed as close as they could while still managing to be social and accept the glasses of champagne given to them.  The evening felt special; it was like there was a warm glow inside him, emanating from his heart.

He was going to marry Jared.  Jared had asked him.  He'd said yes.

He couldn't wait to tell his mom.

But for now, it was their secret.  Well, them and the show crew.  But no one else, no family, no old friends, and that in itself was kind of nice, because it meant the two of them could enjoy it for themselves just a little longer.

(And besides, he was still a little in shock, and it would probably take a day or so for his brain to kick back in again.)

But chilling was good.  Chilling, no talking other than light banter about the skydiving escapades, and just having the chance to be.

 

\---

 

The next few weeks were both more and less crazy.  More stunts.  Less pressure.  After all, the big decision was over.  Jensen had said yes, right?  Now he just had to survive the rest of the show.

He had emotional whiplash.  One moment he was totally in love with Jared and convinced it was real.  The next moment, his head would kick in and recognise the emotional manipulation that was going on - events designed to heighten emotions and therefore bonding, tricking the contestants to fall in love but it would never last longer than the show.  And then Jared would smile at him and his stomach would flip, or Jared would do something incredibly perfect and he would know with utter certainty that what they felt for each other was real.

It was driving him insane.

And to add to it all, the silence from home was worrying.  Silence from his mom usually meant she was doing worse and once again he found himself regretting every single second he was away from home.  Was it really worth it, missing these precious weeks?  They could be all she had left and there he was, frivolously chasing love!

What kind of son was he, anyway?

He just kept telling himself it was just a few more weeks and then it was all over and he’d be free. He could make it to the end.  He was so close now; they could win this thing.  He could save her.

Jared and Jensen watched the other proposals happen, one by one, and it was the most awful moment when Lee proposed and Kara said no.  She'd phrased it in the kindest way possible, and it was true, they weren't a good match.  They had a spark but in the end, it wasn't enough.

And so they were back down to three couples again.

 

John and Dell.

Chuck and Blair.

And Jared and Jensen.


End file.
